Dartmouth Health Study Identifies Transfusion-Related Alpha-Gal Syndrome (TRAGS) as New Risk for Tickborne Alpha-Gal Syndrome Patients

A new multi-institute study led by Dartmouth Health and Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth researchers, published in *JAMA Internal Medicine*, suggests that alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), a tickborne disease causing chronic meat allergy, may also complicate safe blood plasma or platelet transfusions. The study identifies 'transfusion-related alpha-gal syndrome' (TRAGS) as a legitimate manifestation of AGS, prompting Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) to cease giving transfusions of B or AB platelets to O patients to avoid potential injury.